Tube preamp with SS amps and Emerald Physics cs2?

Walter told me at RMAF that the speakers DO NOT like tube amps.

The CS1 is a much better speaker and worth seeking out.

I am not a SS guy but I have to admit the sound coming from this setup with the amps and speakers held me in the room.

If you go with a tube pre it needs to be a fully balanced design so as to match up properly with the active XO, and W4S MC amp. Vincent just introduced a reasonbly priced fully balanced tube pre.

The DSP, I believe does an A/D conversion of the preamp out, does its DSP thing and then does a D/A conversion back for the power amps. I haven't heard the speakers, but wonder why the A/D D/A doesn't happen before the preamp or why it doesn't just take (can't just take) the digital output of a dac and do the manipulation there. Of course,that last scenario precludes analogue input. All in all, I am certainly intrigued by the speakers but I just don't understand--at least in the two reviews Ive read of them--the double conversion is talked up more as a really significant possible source of sound degradation--especially since the Behringer device they use sells for less that $500. If the chips in the device are good enough to preserve subtlities of preamp differences, then I would think they would be good enough to wipe out the need for any dac more expensive than it ( or the Behringer 24/96 without the xover functions)--and that would include the benchmark dac which is perceived as great and cheap. I understand that my response does nothing to answer your questions. I would be interested in how you tought these speakers sound. Thanks.

I can't see why you would go wrong with a pair of Red Wine Audio Signature 30.2 amplifiers, which should be synergistic with the CS2s. A Red Wine Audio Isabella preamp would be icing on the cake. I understand that Emerald Physics provide XLR-to-RCA cables.